It’s the end of the mall as we know it . . . and I feel fine

For those promulgating the “retail apocalypse” narrative, a key component of their Chicken Little logic is that malls are dying. Moreover, much of the blame is cast squarely upon the growth of e-commerce. While hyperbole IS the greatest thing ever, there is a lot more to the story. So let’s try to put this all in a more fact-based, clear and nuanced perspective.

First, in aggregate, regional malls–and their department store anchors–have been on the decline for more than two decades. The first wave of disruption came from the advent and national expansion of big-box category killers and discount mass merchandisers. The most recent wave of disruption has come mostly from the rise of off-price and dollar stores. So while it’s convenient to blame Amazon, the ascent of online shopping is only a small piece of the puzzle. And due to rampant over-building, a correction was sure to come anyway.

Second, many dying malls are being killed by other malls. As growing retailers situate new stores in growing suburban areas with favorable demographics, we often witness a shift in an area’s “retail center of gravity.” A mall that was built in the 60’s or 70’s may lose relevance as more and more retailers locate closer to where a greater density of high spending shoppers now reside or work. In many instances, a new mall with more desirable tenants has been built during the past decade to capture those sales.

Third, many malls are actually doing very well. The nation’s so-called “A” malls represent about 20% of locations, but generate about 75% of total mall volume. With few exceptions, these 270 or so malls have stellar (and growing) productivity and very low vacancy rates. Relatively few of these malls are being impacted by the closing of anchor tenants. And specialty store vacancies are typically snapped up quickly.

Fourth, while the closing of department stores is hitting “B” and “C” malls disproportionately hard, it’s not all bad news for mall owners. Sears has been a dead brand walking for more than a decade. Many JC Penney and Macy’s locations have been chronic under-performers for years. As long as these albatross tenants continue operating, the mall operator receives paltry rent from big chunks of their leasable space while generating little incremental traffic. So in reality the loss of poorly performing retailers is often creating new, more profitable opportunities. One scenario is a transformation of tenant mix, often a dramatic shift to more entertainment venues and/or professional office use. Sometimes, non-traditional retail tenants (think Dick’s Sporting Goods or Target) become anchors. Yet another is a complete re-purposing of the entire center to more lucrative multi-use development.

This is not to say that some malls won’t die a painful death, never to return from the ashes. But the apocalyptic vision painted by some is far from accurate. Most higher-end malls will continue to thrive with an approach that looks rather familiar. Many others will evolve to be quite different, but will remain far from hurting, much less dead. Others will be radically transformed to something with a vastly higher and better use.

Either way, with few exceptions, investors, customers and employees are going to be just fine.

A version of this story recently appeared at Forbes, where I am a retail contributor. You can check out more of my posts and follow me here.